The invention relates to knives and sets out to provide a safety knife where there is little or no risk of accidental injury to the user of the knife.
Most conventional knives have a blade which is entirely exposed when the knife is in use, and the blade is covered to avoid accidental injury only when the knife is out of use. For example, a sheath knife, when not required for use, has its blade encased in a separate sheath, whereas the blade of a pocket knife can usually be folded so that at least the cutting edge of the blade is received in a slot in the knife handle.
While such knives are comparatively safe when out of use, they can result in accidental injury or damage when being used for cutting, or when being held in readiness for such use, since the blade is exposed. The present invention, however, provides a form of knife where the cutting edge of the blade is protected by the knife handle at all times, thus rendering the knife particularly safe. The knife according to the invention may be less versatile than a conventional knife having a fully exposed blade, but it is particularly suitable for some forms of cutting operation, for example for cutting lengths of string or the like.